WHL Morning Skate: April 23, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Hudson Darby scored a goal and an assist in 30 seconds to complete a Portland comeback in Game 7 to down Everett

– Andrew Cristall scored in double overtime to eliminate Victoria. The Washington Capitals prospect has back-to-back overtime goals and leads all skaters with 13

– Spokane and Victoria played 88:44 of overtime hockey over their six-game series

– Spokane and Portland will clash in the Western Conference Championship

– Calgary and Lethbridge will close out Round Two with a Game 7 throwdown on Wednesday night

TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 22

No one has faced more rubber than Ondrej Stebetak in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. Seriously, he’s clearing the next-busiest goaltender by more than 100 saves! Portland’s MVP stopped 40 of 42 shots (highlighted by a sprawling pad stop on Nolan Chastko in the third period) on the road in Game 7 for a sparkling .952 save percentage. He’s only allowed two goals in each Game 7 he’s competed in this postseason. Stebetak went 4-1-0-2 in the second round with a 3.41 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. The Jihlava, Cze. product is ranked eighth among all North American netminders heading into the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

RESULTS

Portland 4, Everett 2

Portland wins 4-3

Got your number. Portland’s wild Game 7 comeback sees the Winterhawks boot the Silvertips from the postseason for a third-straight year and book a second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Championship. WHL Rookie of the Year nominee Landon DuPont kicked off the scoring in the second period before Hawks Captain Kyle Chyzowski found the equalizer. Lukas Kaplan put the Silvertips back in the driver’s seat by lighting the lamp early in the third, but a nightmare sequence for Everett saw Hudson Darby level the match from a bad-angle shot deep in the corner before creating a rebound for Kyle McDonough’s series-clinching goal 30 seconds later. Diego Buttazzoni erased all doubt with a late empty-netter, while Philadelphia Flyers defensive prospect Carther Sotheran grabbed a pair of assists to ensure he found the scoresheet in six of seven games in the series.

THREE STARS

1- Austin Roest, EVT

– 1A

2- Dominik Rymon, EVT

– 1A

3- Tyler MacKenzie, EVT

– 1 shot

Victoria 4, Spokane 5 (2OT)

Spokane wins 4-2

Andrew Cristall spoiled Victoria’s valiant comeback effort with his second overtime goal in as many games, but fans basically got a seven-game series with a staggering 88:44 of overtime hockey being played across six meetings, including two double-OT whoppers. Regular season goals leader Shea Van Olm erupted for his second hat trick of the playoffs and Colorado Avalanche prospect Saige Weinstein buried his second of the postseason with a bouncing wrister to give the Chiefs a 4-2 lead in the third period, but Royals veterans Kenta Isogai and Brandon Lisowsky answered back to send the match to extra time. Spokane outshot the Royals 26-10 throughout both overtime periods before Cristall finally whipped a loose puck into the yawning cage after a scrambled powerplay sequence. Spokane will move on to the Western Conference Championship for the first time since 2019.

THREE STARS

1- Shea Van Olm, SPO

– 3G-1A

2- Andrew Cristall, SPO

– 1G-3A

3- Berkly Catton, SPO

– 3A

ON TAP